Jolly old Saint Nicholas

Tonight is the night that good old St. Nick delivers the goods to kids. I was having a discussion with Steven last night about St. Nick's Day. He came from a very strict Catholic family who didn't really do anything fun. I thought since St. Nick has to do with a Saint, maybe his family would have celebrated it. Of course not. They were far too busy saying the rosary and doing a bunch of Hail Marys. When I explained to him what it was, he said, "Were you the kind of family that got PRESENTS for Easter?" He said it with such disdain that I just burst out laughing. Of course we got presents for Easter! We sure weren't religious, but we did love our presents.

For those of you that don't know, this is what Wikipedia has to say about St. Nick:

While feasts of Saint Nicholas are not observed nationally, cities with strong German influences like Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and St. Louis celebrate St. Nick's Day on a scale similar to the German custom. On the previous night, children put one empty shoe (or sock) outside, and, on the following morning of December 6, the children awake to find that St. Nick has filled their previously empty footwear with candy and small presents (if the children have been "good") or ostensibly, coal (if not). For these children, the relationship between St. Nick and Santa Claus is not clearly defined, although St. Nick is usually explained to be a helper of Santa. The tradition of St. Nick's Day is firmly established in the Milwaukee community, with parents often continuing to observe the day with even their adult children.

Since my parents were born and raised in Milwaukee, and we lived there until I was 8, it really is no surprise that we always celebrated St. Nick's. Wikipedia is totally accurate too because my Mom continued to fill my stocking even after I moved out of the house. Also, I think my parents secretly relished the fact that they could threaten us with coal in our stockings when we were younger if we were behaving badly. There's nothing like the threat of coal to get you to act right.

Happy St. Nick's Day!